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A Vertical World of Yosemite - Half Dome
July 26, 2000 by TIFFANYCMC
Dangerously, Tong hung himself high up on the cliff,
Uttering in a low voice, Wendy felt the pain on her hips,
Uncertain to continue, Jomi finally quit, but,
Some were fascinated by the scenery in front of them
Under the deep blue sky,
A vertical wall reaches out to heaven,
Quarter mile of steel cables bolted into the rock
With a few light clouds passed by,
Half Dome raises 4,882 feet above the floor
With endless sheer wall suspending in mid air
Its summit is far and beyond……
It didn’t seem real at first,
more resembling a postcard photo, a painting, but
mysteriously, transformed to a symbol,
A symbol of passion, a dream which,
“No mortal ever dare to dream before !”.
On either side of the cables
Smooth granite falls away into open space,
5,000 feet straight down into the lush green valley,
on a 2,000 foot face of solid wall,
Left behind a mysterious Indian legends,
With black staining lichens & algaes,
A beautiful woman was painted by nature,
Many many moons ago, this imaginative figure
was named TISSACACK since…
Looked around, George, Mikie and Au Chan were nowhere to be found
“Want to try ? ” with her usual challenging voice, Marjorie asked,
“Let me rest first” Allen had some doubt,
“Let’s go!” implored by the impatience Chi and
fearlessly they went
Clinging to a 800 feet cables
Hikers greeted each other with encouragement
Catching their breath, CMC members,
Stood leaning against the sloping granite,
Determined to conquer this zenith
more than ever……
Up at the plateau of Half Dome,
Magnificent Merced Canyon lies to the far east,
Glorious Yosemite Valley located to the north and
Jagged peak of mountain range was to the south.
Welcome by some familiar figures,
George, Mikie and Au Chen greeted us over the hanging rock,
Their faces, brightened by the mountain wind ,
Their spirits, higher than the white cloud,
Their minds, filled with the forbidden dream, and
Their achievements, envied by countless youngsters.
Suddenly,
A deafening thunder struck the western sky
Dark clouds closing in,
Gusty wind mixed with sand blasting our surrounding,
“We must go!” George urged us,
Unwillingly, we hurried down to the cable path
Looking back to the mountain,
Half Dome stood motionless,
as dignify as the giant sequoia,
For the test of time….
End note:
This poem is dedicated to Tong, Jomi, Wendy, Grace, and Claire, who against
all odds, and disbelief, reached the summit of Mt. Dana (13,000 feet) in July 2, 2000.
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